From the 25th to 31st October, the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, accompanied by the Definitor General, Br. Siphelele Gwanisheni, made a significant fraternal visit to the Custody of the Good Shepherd in Zimbabwe, until now dependent on the Province of Ireland.
During this intense week, the two friars crossed the entire territory of the Custody, visiting all six Franciscan presences and meeting each fraternity. These were days of deep dialogue with the brothers and sisters and of attentive listening to their daily life and mission, sharing the hopes and challenges of this young ecclesial reality now ready for autonomy.
The visit allowed the Minister General to get to know the pastoral projects of the Custody directly and to meet numerous lay people who actively collaborate with the Franciscan presences. Particularly significant was the meeting with the Poor Clares of Harare, testimony to the vitality of the Franciscan charism in Zimbabwean.
In the parish of St. Francis in Harare, the solemn Eucharistic Celebration of All Saints was held presided over by the Archbishop of the city. The Minister General, the Minister Provincial of Ireland, the Minister Provincial of South Africa, the representative of the Minister of Mozambique, the Custos of the Capuchin Friars, other religious and a great multitude of faithful participated. During the celebration, the declaration and canonical erection of the Custody of the Good Shepherd in Zimbabwe as an autonomous entity of the Order of Friars Minor was proclaimed.
Br. Massimo Fusarelli stressed that this step represents a clear sign of ecclesial maturity and recognizes the place that Zimbabwe now assumes in the Order. The new Autonomous Custody brings with it a voice of its own, the fruit of an authentic missionary experience and a profound incarnation of the Franciscan charism in this African land.
The feast was celebrated with great joy by many faithful who came from the different realities where the friars are present and work. A living testimony of a Church on the move, capable of celebration and of looking to the future with hope.
In this Jubilee Year, the birth of the Autonomous Custody of the Good Shepherd is a sign of evangelical vitality: pilgrims of hope in Zimbabwe with St. Francis and St. Clare, ready to continue the journey of Franciscan witness in the heart of Africa.
